Architecture Information & Inspiration

Look again: affordable and parametric do go together

Schueco tackles the affordability issue surrounding parametric design with its new digitally planned facade system

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Schueco's Parametric system delivers affordable 3D facades

While the design opportunities presented by parametric 3D facades have long been seen as exciting and radical, the high cost of the bespoke solutions required to realise them has prevented their breaking out into the architectural mainstream. But now, Schueco’s parametric 3D facades offering has changed all that.

Using Schueco’s Parametric system, 3D facades can, for the first time, be designed as straight-forward system solutions whose cost can be calculated with the certainty of a series product. Suddenly all the possibilities inherent in the parametric concept become not impossibly expensive dreams, but eminently achievable goals. It offers all of the usual benefits of Schueco systems too, including Uf values up to 0.5 W/m2K, as well as active design features such as transparent or opaque surface elements, sunlight and shading solutions, guided views and daylight optimisation.

At the centre of Schueco's Parametric solution is a continuous, closed digital process chain that operates in all phases of design, planning and fabrication, with the proven Schueco modular system forming the basis for individual designs of facade modules. The result is that interface problems become a thing of the past and a uniform, consistent data model for everyone involved in the process is guaranteed.

Schueco's new system creates a variety in design so every facade can be different

Schueco planning tools mean that geometrically complex shapes are progressively simplified during planning. Rules and connections between individual design elements enables changes to be made more swiftly. This is important because a design that includes, for instance, optimised daylight conditions, sound reduction and protection against unwanted sunlight can quickly become complex as the number of individual facade elements increase.

The impressive power of Schueco’s parametric planning tools is evidenced by the extraordinary amount of detailing time they save. The 24 hours per unit that is currently the norm, can be reduced to eight minutes.

With the Parametric system, Schueco has made customer-specific, individualised mass production for free-form facades an affordable reality.

Schueco's Parametric solution is digitally driven to create efficiencies in time and cost